Faltar Conjugation in Spanish

faltar is the Spanish verb for «to be missing, to lack». As a regular -ar verb verb it follows the -ar endings, and the tables on this page list every form so you never have to guess. You will find the present, the past tenses, the future, the conditional, the perfect tenses, the subjunctive and the imperative, each with a short note on when to use it. Start with the present tense: «Yo falto todos los días» — I be missing every day. Then work down the page tense by tense, and finish with the quiz.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: faltar
  • English: to be missing, to lack
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: faltando
  • Past participle: faltado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + faltado)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for faltar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for faltar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem.

Gerund: faltando · Past participle: faltado

Present Indicative

Person Form
yo falto
tú faltas
él/ella/Ud. falta
nosotros/as faltamos
vosotros/as faltáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. faltan

The present tense describes habits, facts and what is happening now. For faltar, the yo form is falto, as in the examples below. Use the present for routines («todos los días») and for general truths, and remember that Spanish often uses the present where English would use a progressive or a near future.

Preterite

Person Form
yo falté
tú faltaste
él/ella/Ud. faltó
nosotros/as faltamos
vosotros/as faltasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. faltaron

The preterite describes completed actions in the past — things that started and finished. «Ayer yo falté» is the classic use. Do not confuse it with the imperfect: the preterite moves the story forward, one finished event at a time.

Imperfect

Person Form
yo faltaba
tú faltabas
él/ella/Ud. faltaba
nosotros/as faltábamos
vosotros/as faltabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. faltaban

The imperfect describes the past as background: habits, descriptions and actions in progress. «De pequeño, yo faltaba» shows the habitual use. It sets the scene while the preterite reports what happened inside it.

Future

Person Form
yo faltaré
tú faltarás
él/ella/Ud. faltará
nosotros/as faltaremos
vosotros/as faltaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. faltarán

The future tense states what will happen. For faltar the future is built on the infinitive: «Mañana yo faltaré». It is also used for predictions and promises, and in spoken Spanish it often alternates with ir a + infinitive.

Conditional

Person Form
yo faltaría
tú faltarías
él/ella/Ud. faltaría
nosotros/as faltaríamos
vosotros/as faltaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. faltarían

The conditional expresses what would happen: wishes, polite requests and hypothetical results. «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo faltaría» is the typical pattern. It shares its stem with the future and changes only the endings.

Present Perfect

Person Form
yo he faltado
tú has faltado
él/ella/Ud. ha faltado
nosotros/as hemos faltado
vosotros/as habéis faltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. han faltado

The present perfect connects the past with the present: something that has happened, often today or recently. It is haber in the present plus the past participle: «Hoy yo he faltado». In Spain it is used for anything that happened today; in Latin America the preterite is often preferred.

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había faltado
tú habías faltado
él/ella/Ud. había faltado
nosotros/as habíamos faltado
vosotros/as habíais faltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían faltado

The pluperfect describes an event that happened before another past event: «Cuando llegué, ya había faltado». It is haber in the imperfect plus the past participle, and it is the tense for explaining what had already happened when something else took place.

Future Perfect

Person Form
yo habré faltado
tú habrás faltado
él/ella/Ud. habrá faltado
nosotros/as habremos faltado
vosotros/as habréis faltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán faltado

The future perfect looks back from a future point: by then, something will already have happened. «Para mañana, yo habré faltado» is the pattern — haber in the future plus the past participle. It is less common in speech but regular in formal writing.

Conditional Perfect

Person Form
yo habría faltado
tú habrías faltado
él/ella/Ud. habría faltado
nosotros/as habríamos faltado
vosotros/as habríais faltado
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían faltado

The conditional perfect expresses what would have happened: «Yo habría faltado si hubiera podido». It is haber in the conditional plus the past participle, and it is the tense for regrets and missed chances.

Present Subjunctive

Person Form
yo falte
tú faltes
él/ella/Ud. falte
nosotros/as faltemos
vosotros/as faltéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. falten

The present subjunctive appears after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions: «Espero que él falte». The trigger is in the main clause; the subjunctive is the mood of uncertainty, desire and influence. Learn the yo form first — most of the table follows from it.

Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)

Person Form
yo faltara
tú faltaras
él/ella/Ud. faltara
nosotros/as faltáramos
vosotros/as faltarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. faltaran

The imperfect subjunctive is the past partner of the present subjunctive, used after past-tense triggers and in si-clauses: «Si él faltara, todo sería distinto». The table above shows the -ra forms, the ones you will hear most often. There is also a less common -se set built on the same stem.

Imperative — Affirmative

Person Form
tú falta
él/ella/Ud. falte
nosotros/as faltemos
vosotros/as faltad
ellos/ellas/Uds. falten

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The affirmative imperative gives direct commands and instructions: «¡falta!». There is no yo form — you cannot command yourself. The tú form is the one you will use with friends and family, and the usted form with people you address formally.

Imperative — Negative

Person Form
tú faltes
él/ella/Ud. falte
nosotros/as faltemos
vosotros/as faltéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. falten

There is no yo form in the imperative — you cannot command yourself.

The negative imperative tells someone not to do something: «¡No faltes!». Unlike the affirmative imperative, the negative forms come from the present subjunctive, which is why they look different. Never use the affirmative form after no.

Example sentences

  1. Yo falto todos los días. — I be missing every day.
  2. Ayer yo falté por la tarde. — Yesterday I bed missing in the afternoon.
  3. Antes, yo faltaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to be missing every day.
  4. Mañana yo faltaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will be missing without fail.
  5. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo faltaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would be missing right now.
  6. Hoy yo he faltado dos veces. — Today I have bed missing twice.
  7. Espero que tú faltes pronto. — I hope You be missing soon.
  8. Si yo faltara, todo sería distinto. — If I bed missing, everything would be different.
  9. Ahora mismo yo estoy faltando. — Right now I am bing missing.
  10. ¡falta, por favor! — Be missing, please!

Common mistakes

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo faltaba.

Right: Ayer yo falté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, falté. The imperfect faltaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú faltas.

Right: Espero que tú faltes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: faltes, not the indicative faltas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No falta.

Right: No faltes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no faltes. The affirmative falta can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo faltar todos los días.

Right: Yo falto todos los días.

The infinitive faltar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo falto.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He faltando.

Right: He faltado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he faltado. The gerund faltando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy faltando»), never with haber.

Quiz

Test yourself on the forms above. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) falta
- (b) falto
- (c) faltamos
- (d) faltas

2. What is the vosotros/as form of faltar in the preterite?

- (a) faltó
- (b) falté
- (c) faltasteis
- (d) faltaste

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of faltar in the imperfect?

- (a) faltabas
- (b) faltaban
- (c) faltaba
- (d) faltaba

4. What is the yo form of faltar in the future?

- (a) faltarás
- (b) faltará
- (c) faltaré
- (d) faltaremos

5. What is the tú form of faltar in the conditional?

- (a) faltaría
- (b) faltaría
- (c) faltarías
- (d) faltaríamos

6. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of faltar in the present perfect?

- (a) ha faltado
- (b) hemos faltado
- (c) he faltado
- (d) has faltado

7. What is the nosotros/as form of faltar in the present subjunctive?

- (a) falte
- (b) faltes
- (c) falte
- (d) faltemos

8. What is the vosotros/as form of faltar in the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms)?

- (a) faltara
- (b) faltarais
- (c) faltaras
- (d) faltara

9. What is the gerund of faltar?

- (a) faltando
- (b) faltar
- (c) faltado
- (d) falto

10. What is the past participle of faltar?

- (a) faltado
- (b) faltar
- (c) faltando
- (d) falté

Answer key

1. (c) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of faltar is faltamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (c) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of faltar is faltasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (b) — In the imperfect, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of faltar is faltaban. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (c) — In the future, the yo form of faltar is faltaré. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the conditional, the tú form of faltar is faltarías. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — In the present perfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of faltar is ha faltado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 7. (d) — In the present subjunctive, the nosotros/as form of faltar is faltemos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 8. (b) — In the imperfect subjunctive (-ra forms), the vosotros/as form of faltar is faltarais. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 9. (a) — The gerund of faltar is faltando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy faltando». 10. (a) — The past participle of faltar is faltado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he faltado».

Frequently asked questions

Is faltar regular or irregular?

Yes — faltar is a regular -ar verb. Learn the endings once and they work in every tense, with the stem falt unchanged throughout.

What are the gerund and past participle of faltar?

The gerund is faltando and the past participle is faltado. Use the gerund with estar for actions in progress («Estoy faltando») and the participle with haber for the perfect tenses («he faltado»).

How do I say «I be missing» in Spanish?

Say «Yo falto todos los días». That is the yo form of the present tense, the form you need for talking about yourself right now.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect of faltar?

Use the preterite (falté) for a single finished event and the imperfect (faltaba) for habits and background. «Ayer yo falté» reports something that happened and ended; «Antes, yo faltaba» describes what used to happen.

When do I use the subjunctive with faltar?

Use the subjunctive after wishes, doubts, emotions and impersonal expressions — for example «Espero que tú faltes». The trigger sits in the main clause; once it is there, the subjunctive form is required, not a stylistic choice.

How do I use faltar in the present perfect?

Put haber in the present before the past participle: «Hoy yo he faltado». The participle faltado never changes for person — only haber changes — so once you know the participle, the whole perfect tense follows.

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